Journal of Ecology and Rural Environment ›› 2015, Vol. 31 ›› Issue (1): 77-81.doi: 10.11934/j.issn.1673-4831.2015.01.011

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Effect of Agro-landscape Heterogeneity as Affected by Scale on Diversity of Coleoptera in Fengqiu County in the Lower Reaches of the Yellow River

HOU  Xiao-Yun, SONG  Bo, ZHAO  Shuang, DING  Sheng-Yan   

  1. College of Environment and Planning,Henan University
  • Received:2014-06-09 Revised:2015-01-04 Online:2015-01-25 Published:2015-04-15
  • Contact: DING Sheng-Yan College of Environment and Planning,Henan University E-mail:syding@henu.edu.cn

Abstract: In Fengqiu County of Henan Province, a typical agricultural region in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, a total of 47 sampling plots were selected in the light of landscape properties, and in each plot, Coleoptera beetles were collected from 4 different habitats, namely farmland, woodland, ditch and hedgerow, in May 2013. Then the plots were sorted into 4 types of landscaspes in the light of biodiversity, that is, (1) high patch density and high patch richness (high configuration heterogeneity and high composition heterogeneity, HCHC), (2) high patch density and low patch richness (high configuration heterogeneity and low composition heterogeneity, HCLC), (3) low patch density and high patch richness (low configuration heterogeneity and high composition heterogeneity, LCHC), (4) low patch density and low patch richness (low configuration heterogeneity and low composition heterogeneity, LCLC). To validate the hypothesis that the higher the landscape heterogeneity of an agricultural area, the higher the richness and abundance of Coleoptera beetles. Nonlinear regression was applied to analyze relationship between Coleoptera diversity and landscape heterogeneity within the radius of 200 , 500, 750 , 1000 , 1250 , 1500 , 1750 and 2000 m around the centre of a sampling plot, separately. It was found that within the radius of 200m, the biodiversity or the richness and abundance of Coleoptera beetles was the most positively related to landscape heterogeneity in configuration and composition; the abundance of Coleoptera beetles was high in areas with high landscape heterogeneity in configuration and composition; landscape configuration heterogeneity had a significant effect on Coleoptera abundance; and Coleoptera richness did not vary much between landscapes regardless of composition and configuration heterogeneity. It is, therefore, concluded that configuration heterogeneity may play an important role in controlling Coleoptera abundance, and in this study area, so Coleoptera abundance would be higher when a landscape increases its configuration heterogeneity. Decrease in landscape heterogeneity resulting from the conversion of natural land into cultivated land would alter the biodiversity in these landscapes and lead to loss of biodiversity associated ecosystem services essential for sustainable agriculture.

Key words: landscape heterogeneity, Coleoptera, diversity, scale, lower reaches of the Yellow River

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